Selecting an election vendor to help manage your organization’s election efforts requires diligence, time, and energy. Not all vendors are created equal, and you must find the one that best meets your organization’s election needs.

In How to Write an Election Response for Proposal, we address this topic and inform organizations on:

• Guidelines and essential information to consider when writing your RFP
• 16 important areas that need to be addressed in your RFP
• A sample RFP document

Download a free copy here.

Have additional election RFP tips or questions? Let us know in the comments section below.

We had a great time hosting the event and were excited to see so many people attend. For those of you who missed it or weren’t able to register, we have a recording of the presentation below.

In the webinar we cover:

• How e-voting helps encourage participation and accessibility.
• Steps for setting up an online voting process for your cooperative.
• The issues to consider before implementing an electronic election.
• How other cooperatives have become successful with e-voting.

Estimated run-time is approximately 57 minutes.

Download a copy of the presentation here.

Make sure to let us know feedback and questions in the comments below…

P.S. Check out our YouTube page for unlimited access to all our webinars and videos!

To view our page, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/SurveyBallotSystems or “search” for us on YouTube.

Stay tuned for more SBS updates.

P.S. For those of you who missed our online voting webinar, “5 Things Your Organization Needs to Know About Online Voting” it is now available on our YouTube channel!

Click here to read the article.

If your organization is putting into place an online election, ask for specifics about the technology that will be used. There are differences between online voting systems.

One distinction between e-voting solutions is the web platform on which the system is built. We highly recommend web voting applications be built on a .NET web framework, which is a robust and secure platform that allows safe, dynamic web pages to update automatically. Online voting applications created on .NET web framework help protect login pages, accurately capture data, and encourage the efficient management of information.

When you are looking for a partner or company to help you realize an online voting system for your organization, make sure you are teaming up with a reliable and reputable vendor. Find out: how long they have been in business, if they have web developers on staff, when the original code was written, and how often the system you will be using is updated.

Beware of outdated technology! It has come to our attention that there are vendors that build online voting systems on web frameworks that are not supported through updates. DO NOT have your online voting system built on one of the following web platforms:

• Coldfusion (.cfm)
• Active Server Pages (.asp)
• Common Gateway Interface (.cgi)

If you have further questions on the appropriate technology for your online voting system, make sure to let us know in the comments below or contact us.

E-Voting is quickly becoming popular with cooperatives across the country. Online election methods are being recognized as a way to boost voter participation and increase transparency in cooperative governance.

Please join Ryan O’Connor, Cooperative Election Expert, and Tim Madsen, SBS’ Marketing Manager, as they explain how e-voting can work for your cooperative elections & voting efforts.

Webinar registration and information.

In this webinar you will learn:

• How e-voting helps encourage participation and accessibility.
• Steps for setting up an online voting process for your cooperative.
• The issues to consider before implementing an electronic election.
• How other cooperatives have become successful with e-voting.

This webinar is limited to the first 100 people that register.

This article originally appeared on AHC Cooperative Law & Energy Blog http://ahclaw.com/cooperative/.

A cooperative, by definition, is an association of people voluntarily united to meet a common goal through democratic process and voluntary membership. Democratic cooperative governance requires an elected board that sets policies and makes decisions that are in the best interest of its members. In order for this to happen, members must have the opportunity to participate in well-run, open elections.

Executing a cooperative election requires substantial staff time and energy. When planning your election, make sure to prepare your staff for the following tasks:

• Database Management. Designate staff or a partner to ensure that member information and contact numbers are up-to-date and current. Your election communications require accurate contact info to ensure deliverability of election messages.
• Coordinating Voting Materials. Assign a manager or agency dedicated to the content and design of ballot materials, including: nominee profiles, proposed policy/by-law changes, voting instructions and the ballot.
• Delivery of the Ballots. Ensuring voters receive their ballots is a critical part of the voting/election process. For an on-site election, make ready an area for voting and distribution of the ballots. For mail-in ballots, have your staff or vendor order mail materials, fill packets, arrange postage and place envelopes in the mail according to schedule. For online voting, ballot delivery will need to be coordinated with the database manager.
• Forming a Registration and Credentials Committee. Form a group that is responsible for facilitating on-site election and tabulation. This step includes checking-in members, passing out ballots and providing voting instructions.
• Analyzing Results. Arrange for a resource to be in charge of tabulating and reporting results. Instruct this party to pay close attention to security and confidentiality of the ballots.

Facilitating a well-run cooperative election is no small task – but when assessing the potential risks associated with poorly run elections with the rewards of a well-run election, the choice is clear:

Faulty elections:

Low voter turnout -> unengaged members -> discontent & speculation

Well-run elections:

Increased voter turnout -> engaged members -> stronger cooperative

Do you have any recommendations for planning a co-op election? Let us know in the comments below.

We are excited to announce that Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) is the first election service provider to offer secure access to online elections via quick response (QR) code technology! Voters participating in organization elections hosted by SBS can now quickly login to online ballots from their mobile devices by scanning QR codes printed on personalized election materials.

Election QR code login can be customized by customer request and is available for association voting, bylaw decisions, director elections, and member satisfaction surveys hosted by SBS.

For more information, visit the press release.

Questions or ideas on how QR codes could work for your organization’s election?  Contact us or let us know in the comments below.

Here are five frequently asked questions we get about our online voting software, myDirectVote:

1. Is technical support included in the price of the software package?

Yes. 45 minutes of support are included with your myDirectVote software agreement. SBS technical support is available to make sure that your election is properly setup and to answer any questions you have on the application. If you need additional support, it can be readily arranged.

2. Once my election opens, can I still add a voter?

Yes. Once your election is open for voting, you can still add “last-minute” voters. To add a voter and send login information: visit the ‘Manage Voters Section,’ scroll down to ‘Add or Edit Voters,’ enter the information for the member you want to add, and click ‘Add User and Send Login Codes.’ The member will then be added to your election and emailed their login credentials.

3. Can usernames be customized for my election?

Yes. Usernames can be tailored to your organization. Usernames can be whatever the election manager decides. We realize that some customers want logins based on existing member IDs, while others want a combination of first and last names; still others want something totally unique for the election. You can customize this field when you create your voter database – SBS creates the confidential passcodes to ensure a fair and anonymous election.

4. Are there a maximum number of items that I can have on my ballot?

No. There is no maximum number of offices, decisions OR candidates.  We encourage organizations to create a ballot and online process that is easy for their members to use.

5. Can I view a demonstration of the software?

Yes. We definitely encourage organizations to view a demo of the software. We want to make sure that myDirectVote is the online voting software solution that is going to work for your organization. The settings and controls are user-friendly, but there is nothing like seeing it first-hand. Visit the ‘Schedule a Demonstration’ form to have an election expert walk you through the application.

myDirectVote is an online election solution for all types of member organizations, including: associations, cooperatives, credit unions, private/recreational clubs, student governments, unions, churches, HOAs, law firms/LLPs, pension boards, chambers of commerce and more.

For an example of how an organization successfully used myDirectVote for their election, click here for the case study.

Questions or comments on myDirectVote or anything related to online voting software? Let us know in the comments section below.

We are excited to announce a free 30-day trial for myDirectVote,^®  our latest self-administered online voting software package!

myDirectVote offers organizations the power to create and run their own elections in a safe, secure online environment. The easy-to-use interface provides you with virtual assistance every step of the way, offering both technical guidance and best practices to ensure you have the most successful online election possible.

Hosted in the cloud, myDirectVote^® provides a fast, cost effective way to create customized electronic elections in a SSL protected online environment. The solution is designed for ease of use in which the election, email invitation and custom settings can be setup in less than one hour, regardless of your skill level or experience. Customer support is also available via telephone and web chat.

If your association, cooperative, credit union, private/recreational club, student government, union, church, HOA, law firm/LLP, pension board or chamber of commerce is interested, visit http://www.surveyandballotsystems.com/apply-for-a-free-trial/ to apply.

For more information, visit our myDirectVote product page.